Last Chance
by LlamaWorshipper
Summary: The Kingdom Hearts characters are thrown into the Hunger Games and are forced to fight to the death. Who will win?
1. Chapter 1: Outsiders

It was never known how they got there. They all just woke up in a strange world with properties very unlike their own. Even though some had died already in their world, they found themselves resurrected in this place. People of the Capitol took notice of their appearance and had Peacekeepers immediately tranquilize them and take them to jail to interrogate them. They tried to get information on why they were there and how did they get there, but to no avail. The only information they could get was on where these outsiders came from.

No one knew anything and the public was becoming anxious, for they themselves didn't have any information on the subject matter. All the Capitol knew is that they're outsiders and aren't welcome. The huge question was how to get rid of these outsiders? Then President Snow suggested the Hunger Games as terms of elimination and the victor can have a comfortable life at the Capitol. Since this was last minute, the President decided that they would use the same arena from the 74th Hunger Games since that one wasn't won correctly and the contestants have no idea of what to expect since they don't even know what the Hunger Games are. Then the new tributes were all whisked away to their personal stylist to get ready for the Tribute Parade as the President released some information on the Capitol's new tributes.

All the tributes came together to get in their carriages for the parade. All but two had bodysuits according to their powers. Sora, Riku, Kairi, Roxas, and Xion had the same outfits. The outfits had thick strings of four that went around the body suits in different directions and eventually went up to the chest and crossed and fanned out at the shoulders. Their outfits were different by the type of metals used to for the strings and the color for the fabric. Sora had gold, Riku had silver, Kairi had platinum, Roxas had copper, and Xion had cobalt. Namine didn't wear a bodysuit. She had a white, floor length robe with a white witch hat.

Xemnas wore his final form organization cloak. Xigbar had a bodysuit with stars and planets on it to represent his power of space. Xaldin had storm clouds shroud his bodysuit which represented his power over wind. Vexen had a body suit covered in ice to represent his power over ice. Lexaeus had his suit covered in rocks and sand to represent his power over earth. Zexion's suit made his body turn invisible but you could see some misty swirls in different colors appear to represent his power over illusion. Saix's suit was covered in moon dust and moon rocks to represent his power over the moon. Axel's suit was on fire to represent his power over fire. Demyx's suit had water flowing on it to represent his power over water. Luxord had suit made of playing cards, chips, and dice to represent his power over time. Marluxia had a suit made out of greenery and roses to represent his power over flowers and plants. Larxene had a suit that glowed yellow and was covered in sparks of electricity to represent her power over electricity.

All eighteen tributes got their own carriages. They all went out as their names were called in this order: Sora, Riku, Kairi, Naminé, Xemnas, Xigbar, Xaldin, Vexen, Lexaeus, Zexion, Saix, Axel, Demyx, Luxord, Marluxia, Larxene, Roxas, and Xion. The crowd cheered as the tributes paraded down the streets. All the carriages stopped in front of the President's mansion as he came out on his balcony to greet the tributes. The national anthem played and when it was over, President Snow greets, "Welcome tributes, to the Hunger Games! I know you young men and women don't even know what that is but you'll all soon find out as you head in the training center. Now let the celebration and preparation of the games begin!"

The crowd cheers madly as all the chariots disappear into the doors of the Training Center.


	2. Chapter 2: The Training Sessions

The tributes were led to their assigned rooms. Sora and Riku had the first floor, Kairi and Naminé had the second, Xemnas on the third, Xigbar on the fourth, Xaldin and Vexen on the fifth, Lexaeus on the sixth, Zexion on the seventh, Saix on the eighth, Axel on the ninth, Demyx and Luxord on the tenth, Marluxia and Larxene on the eleventh, and Roxas and Xion on the twelfth floor. All the tributes were in shock by the recent turn in events and wondered what the Hunger Games were.

Riku sat in their floor's lounge with Sora. Riku said, "I don't understand."

Sora asked, "What?"

"Why are we here?! We were on the islands yesterday! I had a normal day prior to coming to this weird place and now I find out I'm going to participate a game that I know NOTHING about! And what's the most weirdest thing of ALL, is that the Organization is revived! We killed them off, well except for Roxas. I just… don't understand," Riku shouted.

Riku buried his face in his hands. He was confused and scared. Sora didn't know what to say. There was a minute of silence and then Riku continued, "What if we have to kill each other off? I don't think I would be able to kill you and Kairi. You guys are my friends and wouldn't do anything to harm you two. I just –"

Sora cut him off, "Riku, none of us know what the "Hunger Games" are. We are in a training center so they'll have to teach us the rules then. What if the Hunger Games is who can eat the most pie? You just gotta think positive and be ready for anything they throw at you. Who knows? Maybe you, Kairi, and I can win the Hunger Games together! Don't let these things bother you, okay?"

Sora smiled at Riku to see if he would smile back but to no avail. Sora got up and walked up to Riku. Sora put on the same face he did in order to cheer up Riku so that he could convince him to come back home with him. Riku laughed and then they both went to bed and tried to sleep.

Meanwhile, Roxas was searching the penthouse for some way out while Xion stared out the window which showed a beautiful view of the city. He found a door and followed some steps to find himself on the top of the building. He went to the edges and put his hand out only to be zapped. He figured that it was an invisible shield to prevent tributes from escaping. He looked at the cityscape, he saw the lights and parties going on in celebration of the Hunger Games. He wanted to show Xion this. He ran back down and got Xion to show her. She was in awe. "I just want to enjoy the scenery and have a nice last night of peace," Xion said.

"What makes you say that?" Roxas asked.

Xion replied, "We don't know what's ahead of us. We may even die. We might just get thrown in there a few days from now. Who knows what they're going to throw at us."

Roxas replied, "No matter what happens; You, me, and Axel are going to stay together! We can't trust anyone else. Speaking of Axel, I wonder how he's doing. He has a floor all by himself and he can't escape."

"We'll see him tomorrow and then we'll try to make plans," Xion said.

Roxas smiled as they continued to watch the city.

The next day the contestants were led underground to the training arena. They put on the bodysuits for they'll be using for the training sessions. They all saw their weapons and they all tried to summon them, but it did not work. They all had to grab their weapons manually. Then they were all lined up in the order they were sent out for the parade. Then Seneca Crane along with a couple trainers came out and greeted the tributes. They explained to them what the Hunger Games were and told them the rules. They also gave them some hints and tips and showed them the different stations. They were then told they only had six days to prepare. Once there were no more questions, the trainers went to their stations and everybody stood there taking in all the information that they were told. Then they all looked at each other and the groups started to form as they headed to a station. Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Naminé formed a group and headed to the basic survival skills station. Then Axel, Roxas, and Xion formed a group and headed the camouflage station. Xemnas and Saix formed a group and went straight for the fighting station. The rest were unsure about the remaining people available to form a group and scattered to the different stations. Luxord was analyzing the different powers everyone had and how could they be of use to him. He knew Demyx had the power of water and would be a good member to have on his side. He saw Demyx panicking as each group was refusing his admittance due to his cowardice and laziness. Luxord waited for him to come to him. When Demyx did, he panicked, "Luxord, please let me be a part of your group! I don't have anybody and I don't want to be in there alone and –"

Luxord cut him off, "Of course Demyx. Who wouldn't want you in their group?"

Demyx sighed in relief as they worked at their survival skills. Luxord analyzed everyone else. He thought that Axel would be a good addition to have due to his fire and good fighting skills. Luxord told Demyx to stay where he was and walked over to Axel. Luxord pulled Axel aside and offered a spot in his group. "Don't you dare ask me to abandon my friends!" Axel growled.

Luxord replied, "Well, what are you going to do when it's down to you three. You're eventually going to have to kill each other off, so save yourself the guilt and let nature or other tributes kill them for you."

"No, I made a promise to them and I refuse to go back on my word," Axel said as he walked away.

Luxord walked away and tried to figure out who else he could put in his team that is strategically important. Then he saw Xigbar teleporting and hanging from midair and shooting at targets. He could be good for sniping other tributes and getting game. Luxord called over Xigbar and Xigbar came. Luxord offered a position in his team and Xigbar took it. Then Xigbar went back to shooting his arrows and Luxord still debated his remaining choices for a good team. Meanwhile, Xemnas and Saix were sparring. Xemnas said to Saix, "I think this would be an excellent chance to get revenge on those who betrayed us and managed to kill us. What say you Saix?"

Saix grinned evilly, "It would be my pleasure."

They continued to spar and everyone prepared. During the training session, the tributes sort of gained the ability to summon their weapons again. The chances of the tributes being able to summon their weapons was a fifty-fifty chance. They continued training until the Peacekeepers came to escort the tributes back to their floors. As each of the tributes went to the elevators, they each reluctantly left their weapons on the weapons rack. Once they passed the elevator doors, they could no longer summon their weapons.

The next day went the same; everybody continued preparing and went to the different stations. The day after, Luxord finally chose the remaining people for his team and now only had to propose a truce. He first went up to Vexen and Zexion. He knew they would be a good addition to his team due to Vexen's ice powers so they can freeze their enemies to death and Zexion with his powers of illusion so they can confuse their opponents and kill them before they even know it. Plus, within two days they both memorized the different plants and animals in the book available at the basic survival skills station. Luxord proposed this idea and to give a little incentive, he said that it would greatly increase their odds of survival. Vexen and Zexion looked at each other and debated for a while. They eventually agreed and decided to stay away from all the members of their group so that no one will know that Luxord is building a group. To finish off his group, Luxord chose Xaldin and Lexaeus. Luxord didn't want to come across Xaldin's insane wind powers and Lexaeus' earthquake moves. He wanted those powers to be on his side. So he went up to them individually and asked and they reluctantly said yes. The only reason why they joined was because being in a team would increase their chances of living and they wanted to live. So Luxord went back to the camouflage station and knew he would be set to win the games. After about ten minutes, they were called in for the day.

The next day came and they were told that tomorrow was the interviews so Panem can get to know the tributes better. They were also told that tomorrow morning they would meet with the stylists to pick their clothing and meet previous victors to learn how to speak in front of an audience. Axel asked Seneca, "What else are you guys going throw at us? An apple bobbing contest?"

Everybody chuckled and then Seneca glared at everyone. When people noticed his glare, they stopped laughing. Seneca then replied, "The only other thing that will happen is the day after your interviews is the rating session."

A low murmur went through the group of tributes until Seneca continued, "The game sponsors will come in and see you individually. You'll need to show off your skills and that night, you'll hear your odds of winning and then the next day will be the Hunger Games. Now go back to your training to somewhat increase your odds."

Seneca left and everyone slowly went back to training. Luxord motioned his team members to come and work at the same station as they could make their plans. Luxord asked, "So, should we go for the Cornucopia? Or run for it in hopes that our weapons will come to our disposal?"

Xigbar replied, "We have the biggest group, we can take them out pretty easily."

Demyx commented as the group could hear the fear in his voice, "I think we should run, our weapons will come to us anyways."

Vexen replied, "We have to assume that they probably might not. You may not have noticed Demyx, but we haven't been able summon our weapons much thus far. So we can't assume we will be able to summon our weapons."

"Anyways, by going to the Cornucopia, not only will our weapons be there, but also food and supplies. With such a big team, the odds are in our favor," Zexion said.

Then Xaldin replied, "Then it's settled. We go to the Cornucopia."

"Now we should discuss those who we should watch out for," Lexaeus said.

Luxord replied, "Yes, that's what we need to discuss next. I think we should definitely watch out for Xemnas and Saix. They will be hard to beat, but with power comes arrogance. We should hope they get too cocky and underestimate us."

"I don't think they're that stupid. They are smart enough to not let their arrogance get the best of them," Zexion said.

"Okay, the point is just watch out for them. Who else we should watch out for? Oh wait, I know! The Keyblade bearers," Xigbar cut in before the conversation got nasty.

Demyx asked, "Why do we need to worry about them? They won't be able to summon their Keyblades either."

Luxord said, "But no one but they can wield the Keyblade so it will have to come back to them. And they will probably run thinking that. Also, only half of them are good fighters so I doubt they will bother going in."

Lexaeus cut off Luxord, "What about Axel's group? The majority of them are Keyblade wielders and all of them are fighters. We should count on them being there."

"But if I know Axel well enough, I don't think he's that stupid. He's clever. I don't think he would risk his friends, but you never know," Zexion said.

"So now what of Marluxia and Larxene?" Xaldin asked.

Vexen replied, "I'm pretty sure Xemnas and Saix will go after them, especially after what happened in Castle Oblivion. The way they disrespected me and the Organization!"

Luxord cut him off, "So in short, we should be careful with all the groups. Who knows who may stay behind. We need to be careful when we go in. Agreed?"

Everyone mumbled in agreement and they stayed together for about ten minutes. Then the group slowly started to spread out into the other stations. Meanwhile Riku, Sora, Kairi, and Naminé started to plan their strategy. "Okay, everybody knows we're going to team up so there is no point in hiding it. So, what is our strategy?" Sora asked.

"I think we should run into the woods once the games start. Our Keyblades will come to us at our will anyways and nobody else will be able to wield it but us," Riku replied.

Naminé asked, "What about supplies? There will be supplies at the Cornucopia that could mean life or death."

"Yeah! And there will probably be food and medicine," Kairi added.

"But don't you two know what berries are edible? So can't we just live off of that?" Sora asked.

Riku replied, "Sora, we can't just live off of that. Otherwise we'll die of mal-nutrition. We can always hunt and steal or kill other tributes for their bags. Also, we will be targeted by everybody if we go into the Cornucopia. We killed all of these people before and I'm pretty sure they don't want us to kill them again."

Kairi asked, "So then it's settled, we run into the woods then?"

Sora replied, "Yeah, I think that's our only chance of survival."

Then the group chatted while working as Xemnas and Saix made their plans. "Who should we go for first?" Saix asked.

"We should first kill off Marluxia and Larxene for betraying us. Then I would go for the Keyblade wielders and Axel," Xemnas replied.

"It sounds like a plan," Saix grinned maliciously.

The next day the tributes met with their stylists as they came up with an outfit. Then the tributes spent the day with a mentor to teach them how to speak in front of the audiences of Panem. About two hours prior to the interviews, the tributes spent it getting ready with the stylists. A few minutes prior to the interviews, the tributes were led to backstage where they awaited their turn to be seen by all of Panem


	3. Chapter 3: The Interviews Part 1

The anthem played which marked the start of the show. Once the anthem finished, Caesar Flickerman, still in his blue hair, talked about how excited he is to have a Hunger Games special to see who is worthy enough to live in the Capitol. Once he finished giving his opening speech, he called up Sora who was first to be interviewed. Sora went up on the stage wearing a black tuxedo, a white dress shirt, and a black bow tie. Caesar and Sora shook hands and then they sat down. Caesar greeted, "It's nice to meet you Sora! Glad to have you in the Hunger Games! Speaking of which, how does it feel to be in the Hunger Games?"

Sora wanted to try to tell what he was feeling truthfully as much as possible. So Sora replied, "I feel a mix of emotions. I feel scared for my friends but I'm excited to show people what I'm made of!"

Sora didn't care much about showing his power, he just needed to say something that will make him look good. The audience cheered as Caesar asked the next question, "I bet the audience is dying to know, do you guys have your own Hunger Games back at home?"

Sora replied, "No, but we do spar and fight enemies to the death."

The audience was in awe of this comment and Caesar replied, "Maybe if you win and if you find a way to go back home, maybe you guys can start a Hunger Games of your own!"

The audience cheered and once the cheering died down a little, Caesar asked, "So do you have friends that are here competing against you today?"

Sora replied, "There's Kairi, Riku, Roxas, Naminé, and Axel. But I'm a lot closer to Kairi and Riku. I've known them ever since I could remember."

Caesar asked, "And this Kairi girl, do you have any feelings for her?"

Sora blushed and tried to answer but kept on choking on what he was trying to say. The audience was on the edge of their seats and then the buzzer rang telling that his three minutes were up. "Well that's all for Sora, give him a round of applause everybody!" Caesar cheered.

The audience cheered loudly for Sora and then Sora was rushed off the stage. Then Caesar said, "Isn't he just adorable. Now up next is Riku!"

Riku walked up onstage wearing a black tux, a white dress shirt, and a dark blue tie. He nonchalantly shook Caesar's hand and they sat down. "It's nice to meet you Riku! Glad to have you in the Hunger Games! How do you feel to be part of the Hunger Games, Riku?" Caesar asked.

Riku replied, "It's nothing I can't handle."

Caesar commented with the crowd, "I think we've got ourselves a bad boy here."

The crowd roared with laughter. "Well, I try my best," Riku smirked.

The crowd laughed even harder. Once the laughing died down, Caesar asked, "So Sora mentioned that you, Kairi, and he were friends since you were little. How do you feel about going into the arena with some of your childhood friends?"

Riku thought of a reply that wouldn't anger the Capitol. He thought the Hunger Games were ridiculous and the thought of killing his friends was unbearable, but he couldn't let his emotions show through his cool expression. Everyone waited on the edge of their seats for his reply. After about a minute, Riku finally replied, "I'm going to try to keep my friends alive and if they get killed by natural causes or other tributes, then I will win for them."

"Then win you shall," Caesar said solemnly.

Then the buzzer rang and Caesar said cheerfully, "Well that's Riku everyone! Let's give him a nice round of applause."

The audience applauded as Riku walked offstage. Caesar then announced, "Now let's give a warm welcome to Kairi everyone!"

The audience applauded while Kairi walked on stage wearing a cobalt, flowy dress. It was short in the front and long in back with diamonds making up the straps and outlining the sweetheart neckline. The diamonds from the straps connected in the back and went down the back of the dress. Caesar kissed Kairi's hand and then they sat down. Once the audience's applause cooled down, Caesar greeted, "It's nice to meet you Kairi! Glad to have you in the Hunger Games! My, what a beautiful dress you are wearing! Your stylist has really outdone themself!"

Kairi replied cheerfully, "Thanks!"

Caesar asked, "So Kairi, how does it feel to be one of the four only girls in this Hunger Games special?"

Kairi didn't want to sound weak because she wasn't anymore after what she has been through. "It doesn't really matter much to me. I grew up with boys so I can say it should be fine for me," Kairi said confidently.

"But we're not talking about just Sora and Riku. We have a bunch of men out there twice your size," Caesar said with a bit of concern in his voice.

Kairi thought of something to make the Capitol not worry about her. A light bulb turned on in her head. She could tell them a little bit about her past. Kairi replied confidently, "Sora, Riku, and I with the help of some friends actually fought against these people and won in our past world. Even though it was mainly Sora and Riku who did the fighting, I helped somewhat. I'm pretty confident that our team can take them down once again."

Caesar and the audience were impressed with her confidence to the point of whether or not they could distinguish if she being too overconfident. Caesar replied, "Now that is one determined girl. I wouldn't want to be in the other team's shoes and Riku and Sora should be happy to have you on their team."

The audience cheered and the buzzer rang. Caesar said, "Well that's Kairi for you everyone! Let's give her a warm round of applause!"

The audience applauded as Kairi walked off the stage. Caesar then said, "Now up next is Naminé!"

The audience applauded as Naminé walked out in a dark pink, flowy, long, and shiny dress with a dark purple, flowy strap under the chest ending below the diaphragm that tied into a bow on the back of the dress. Caesar kissed her hand and then they sat down. Caesar greeted, "It's nice to meet you Naminé! Glad to have you in the Hunger Games! So Naminé, how do you feel to be one of the only girls in this Hunger Games special?"

"I feel a little more confident now than I did prior to the interviews," Naminé replied.

Caesar asked, "And why is that?"

"I'm also part of Kairi's team too and after hearing the confidence in their interviews, I feel a lot more confident myself. I've never seen the Hunger Games and I have sort of an idea of what to expect. Even though we are going into the unknown, to hear them have confidence is really inspiring," she replied.

The audience roared with applause and Caesar got even a little teary eyed. Once the audience calmed down a bit, Caesar replied, "It is truly inspiring! They set a very good example for how a tribute should act."

There was a thunderous applause from the audience and once it calmed down, Caesar continued, "What are you going to do when it comes down to you four though?"

Naminé wasn't sure why he asked that question. She wasn't sure how to answer. Naminé replied unsurely, "Well... I'm not sure. I think we'll decide then but I don't want to think about that right now."

The buzzer rang and Caesar said, "Give it up for Naminé everyone!"

The audience applauded as Naminé walked offstage. Caesar announced, "Now our next tribute is Xemnas! Let's give him a warm round of applause everybody!"

Xemnas walked onstage wearing a white tuxedo, a white dress shirt, and a black and white swirl patterned tie. Xemnas and Caesar shook hands and then they sat down. Caesar greeted, "It's nice to meet you Xemnas! Glad to have you in the Hunger Games! So Xemnas, I heard that you've fought against Sora and his friends before the Hunger Games and he and his team are very confident on winning due to their previous win. How do you feel about all of this?"

Xemnas was in disbelief that Sora thinks he is going to win. Their appearance in this world was to give Xemnas another chance at killing Sora. Xemnas raised his eyebrows and laughed, "If he thinks he's going to win again, he is terribly wrong. I'm intent on winning this time."

Caesar commented, "He seems pretty determined Sora, I would watch out if I were you!"

The audience laughed a little and Caesar asked, "So how do you feel to be in the Hunger Games in general?"

"I think it's a good opportunity to get revenge on those who oppose me, the weak, and those who have betrayed me," Xemnas said with an evil grin.

Caesar chuckled in a creeped out manner, "I see Xemnas, um… So how is life back at home?"

Xemnas replied, "Well, I'm the leader of an organization and my subordinates are the rest of the people who have yet to be interviewed."

Caesar replied, "That is very interesting! So how does it feel to be number one in your organization?"

"The best part of it is that I can tell people to do whatever I want," Xemnas chuckled.

The audience laughed. Then the buzzer rang and Caesar said cheerfully, "That's Xemnas for you! Let's give him a big round of applause everyone!"

The audience applauded as Xemnas walked offstage and Caesar announced, "Now let's give a warm welcome to Xigbar!"

Xigbar walked onstage wearing a dark blue tux, a white dress shirt, and a red tie. Xigbar and Caesar shook hands and then they sat down. Caesar greeted, "It's nice to meet you Xigbar! Glad to have you in the Hunger Games! So apparently you're part of this organization with Xemnas. What is your rank?"

Xigbar replied cockily, "Well, I'm second in command and Xemnas' right wing man."

Caesar replied, "Oh, so should we see you two working in arena together then?"

Xigbar stuttered, "Well, um… uh… well he hasn't talked to me about that yet, but I am part of another awesome group!"

Caesar asked, "Well that's great! Who are your team members?"

Xigbar replied, "I don't want to reveal my group because my group decided that it should be a surprise because we want to surprise the other tributes."

Caesar added, "It should also add some suspense for the games!"

Then the buzzer rang and Caesar said, "Let's give a warm round of applause for Xigbar everybody!"

The audience clapped as Xigbar walked offstage and Caesar announced, "Now let's welcome Xaldin to the stage everyone!"

The audience clapped as Xaldin walked on stage wearing a dark grey tux, a grey dress shirt, and a shimmery, yellow tie. Xaldin and Caesar shook hands and then they sat down. Caesar greeted, "It's nice to meet you Xaldin! Glad to have you in the Hunger Games! So which rank in Xemnas' organization are you?"

Xaldin replied, "Number three."

Caesar asked, "So, are you Xemnas' right wing man too?"

Xaldin replied, "Whatever Xigbar said, he is just in over his head. Xemnas does not consider him his right wing man. Xemnas' right wing man is Saix. And even though we have a high rank and have some superiority for those under our rank, we are usually on equal footing."

Caesar replied, "Ah. Anyways, so Sora and his friends managed to defeat you. So how did about fourteen of you lose to about three people?"

Xaldin replied, "Our plan was supposed to be flawless. We were supposed to fight him off one by one since we were so strong. We should've defeated him, but I don't know why we lost. But this time, he and his friends aren't getting away."

Before Caesar could reply to his remark, the buzzer rang. Caesar said, "And that's Xaldin! Let's give him a warm round of applause everyone!"

The audience clapped as Xaldin walked off stage as Caesar announced, "Now let's welcome Vexen everyone!"

Vexen walked in wearing a light blue tuxedo, a white dress shirt, and a white bow tie. Vexen and Caesar shook hands and then they sat down. Caesar greeted, "It's nice to meet you Vexen! Glad to have you in the Hunger Games! So Vexen, what is your rank in the organization Xemnas is in charge of?"

Vexen replied, "I'm number four and the smartest one out of all of them."

Caesar replied in interest, "Oh really. Since you are the smartest, did they ask you to come up with how to defeat Sora?"

"Why yes they did which for some odd reason didn't work," Vexen replied.

"Maybe your failure was to help you prepare for the Hunger Games. Whatever didn't work before, you now know doesn't work," Caesar suggested.

Vexen gasped, "Yes! I must conduct research about our previous failures! This could be vital to my very survival! I'm off to my lab!"

Vexen ran off the stage which shocked everyone since this has never happened before. Caesar played along, "Well, that's Vexen everyone!"

The audience clapped and then Caesar moved on, "Up next is Lexaeus!"

The audience applauded as Lexaeus walked on stage wearing a green tux, a brown dress shirt and tie. They shook hands and then they sat down. Caesar greeted, "It's nice to meet you Lexaeus! Glad to have you in the Hunger Games! So Lexaeus, I'm guessing you're number five in the organization Xemnas is in charge of, am I correct?"

Lexaeus replied, "Yeah."

Caesar replied, "Oh that's a sort of high position! So how has your stay at the Capitol has been so far?"

Lexaeus replied, "It's been good. The food is good and the decorations are cool. There's more life here than back at home."

"That's good! So how was life back at home?" Caesar asked.

"It was a little boring. All we did was go on missions to help us get closer to our top secret plans. But once we were done, there wasn't much to do." Lexaeus replied bluntly.

Before Caesar could ask any more questions, the buzzer rang. Caesar cheered, "Well that's all for Lexaeus! Let's give him a nice, warm round of applause!"

The audience applauded as Lexaeus walked offstage.


	4. Chapter 4: The Interviews Part 2

Caesar announced, "Up next, we have Zexion!"

The audience applauded as Zexion came on stage wearing a shimmery, purple tux and a shimmery, silver dress shirt and tie. Zexion and Caesar shook hands and then they sat down. Caesar greeted, "It's nice to meet you Zexion! Glad to have you in the Hunger Games! So Zexion, how has your stay at the Capitol been so far?"

Zexion wanted to get on the Capitol's good side so he wanted to use flattery to get them to like him. "It has been great! The food is delectable and the people here are nice. The technology is amazing too" Zexion replied with a smirk.

Caesar replied in a delightful manner, "Oh that is wonderful! We are glad you are enjoying your stay! Now how was life back at home?"

"It was fine. We would go on missions pertaining to our top secret plans and then you could do whatever you wanted afterwards. But it was nothing like life here," Zexion replied still trying to flatter the Capitol.

"So I've heard from your fellow tributes. As some of the tributes mentioned, you are part of some organization that is led by Xemnas, what is your rank in this organization?" Caesar asked.

Zexion replied, "I'm number six, one of the founding members. The numbers one through six are the founding members and once our organization was made, we grew from there to a total of fourteen."

Caesar replied in an impressed manner, "Wow, that's quite –"

Caesar was cut off by the buzzer and then Caesar cheered, "Let's give Zexion a nice warm round of applause everybody!"

The audience cheered as Zexion walked off the stage. Caesar announced, "Now up next is Saix!"

The audience applauded as Saix came on stage wearing a dark blue tux and shimmery, gold dress shirt and tie. On right side of Saix's tuxedo jacket, there was a crescent moon made out of the same fabric of his dress shirt and tie. Saix and Caesar shook hands and then they sat down. Then Caesar greeted, "It's nice to meet you Saix! Glad to have you in the Hunger Games! So how has your stay been at the Capitol been so far?"

Saix replied, "It has been quite nice so far. I know I'm probably going to repeating the other tributes, but the food is great and the technology is amazing."

"I'm glad to hear it! So how is life back at home?" Caesar asked delightedly.

"It's quite nice, I give out the missions for Xemnas and make sure everyone is doing their job," Saix replied.

"Oh! How important! So what is your number in the organization?" Caesar asked.

Saix heard what Xigbar said and wanted to put him in his place. He also wanted to make him look bad for the Capitol and game makers so they'll lower his score, hopefully. "I'm number seven. Despite my low number and not being able to say that I help found the Organization, I'm still the right wing man of Xemnas," Saix replied, trying to make Xigbar look bad.

"How interesting! So how do –" Caesar was about to ask another question but was cut off by the buzzer.

Caesar said, "Well that's it for Saix! Let's give him a big, warm round of applause everyone!"

The audience applauded as Saix walked off the stage. Caesar then announced, "Now let's welcome Axel to the stage!"

Axel walked on stage wearing the same tux design that Peeta wore for his interview. But the only difference was that anywhere that was red and that had flames, had actual flames. Axel and Caesar shook hands and then they sat down. Caesar greeted, "It's nice to meet you Axel! Glad to have you in the Hunger Games! Wow! Your stylist outdid themself! Just look at the real flames!"

Axel replied, "Yeah! I have them because I can control fire."

"How about we have a little demonstration?" Caesar suggested and looked at the audience to get their approval.

The audience cheered and Axel said, "Okay, okay."

Axel still sat in his chair and created a small vortex of fire. Then he made it create a tiny little explosion and acted like it was nothing. The audience went wild with this display of pyrotechnics. Once the audience calmed down, Caesar said in awe, "How amazing! You should definitely get a lot of sponsors for this ability. This ability should be feared by the other tributes too!"

Everyone cheered and then the buzzer rang. The audience groaned and Caesar said, "Give it up for Axel everyone!"

The audience cheered like mad as Axel walked off the stage. So far, Axel was the most favorite. Caesar announced, "Now let's welcome Demyx to the stage!"

Demyx walked on stage wearing an aqua blue tux with a white dress shirt and bow tie. Demyx and Caesar shook hands and then they sat down. Caesar greeted, "It's nice to meet you Demyx! Glad to have you in the Hunger Games! So how do you like your stay at the Capitol so far?"

Demyx replied, "It's pretty good. Although I wish I could play my sitar outside of training but I can't because it's my weapon."

"Oh so you're a musician! That's cool! So as a musician, how do you feel to be going into the Hunger Games?" Caesar asked.

The audience was in awe because this was the first tribute that was a musician they've seen. Demyx replied, "I feel kind of scared since I'm not much of a fighter, but I'm glad I'm in a group that values me for my powers. At first I couldn't find a group but then luckily the group I'm in now accepted me."

Caesar asked, "What are your powers?"

"I have the power to control water," Demyx replied.

Caesar complimented, "That is a really useful power because then you don't have to worry about finding water. Your team is very lucky to have you!"

The audience started cheering in agreement and that made Demyx felt better that more people appreciate him. Then the buzzer rang and Caesar said, "Well that's all for Demyx, let's give him a warm round of applause everyone!"

The audience cheered as Demyx walked offstage and then Caesar announced, "Now let's welcome Luxord!"

Luxord walked on stage wearing a shimmery, green tux, a white dress shirt, and a shimmery, white tie. Luxord and Caesar shook hands and then they sat down. Caesar greeted, "It's nice to meet you Luxord! Glad to have you in the Hunger Games! So how has your stay at the Capitol been so far?"

Luxord wanted to flatter the Capitol and game makers because he knew if he was on their good side, he would have better chances of winning. "It has been great. The food, technology, and people are very nice here!" Luxord replied.

"That's very good! So how was life back at home?" Caesar asked.

Luxord replied, "It was okay. As I'm sure you heard from the other members, we would go on missions and then after that I would usually play poker with other members. I would usually win."

"Ah, so you like gambling and games in general?" Caesar asked.

Luxord replied, still trying to please the Capitol, "Oh yes, particularly games where you can gamble. That is why I love the Hunger Games."

Then the buzzer rang and Caesar cheered, "That's Luxord everyone! Let's give him a nice warm round of applause!"

Luxord walked off the stage as the audience cheered madly and then Caesar announced, "Now let's welcome Marluxia!"

Marluxia walked on stage wearing a shimmery, pink tuxedo and white dress shirt and tie. Caesar and Marluxia shook hands and sat down. Caesar greeted, "It's nice to meet you Marluxia! Glad to have you in the Hunger Games! So Marluxia, how has your stay at the Capitol been so far?"

Marluxia replied in a delighted manner, "I finally found people who have my taste! The fashion is amazing, the food is delectable, and the technology is amazing! I feel like I belong here! I better make sure I win so I get to live here for the rest of my life!"

The audience cheered like mad. Marluxia did say how he truly felt and was now the audience's favorite. Once the audience's cheering died down, Caesar replied, "Well that's great to hear that you love it here! So how was life back at home?"

Marluxia replied, "Oh it was nowhere near as sophisticated as here. I'm pretty sure as you've heard from the other members, we would go on missions and then have free time afterwards. In all honesty, I like the life here is better than there."

"That is great to hear! What –" Caesar was cut off by the buzzer.

Caesar continued, "Let's give a big, warm round of applause for Marluxia everyone!"

The audience cheered like mad as Marluxia walked off the stage. It became clear that Marluxia upstaged Axel. Then Caesar announced, "Now let's welcome Larxene!"

Larxene walked on stage wearing a red, silk, skin tight, halter top dress that had sequins covering her breasts only in the front. Under the sequins in the middle, there's a tear drop circle and there's an opening, starting at the thigh, to reveal her left leg. Caesar kissed Larxene's hand and they sat down. Caesar greeted, "It's nice to meet you Larxene! Glad to have you in the Hunger Games! My, what a beautiful dress you have!"

Larxene replied, "Thanks!"

"So, how have you like your stay at the Capitol so far?" Caesar asked.

Larxene replied, "It's good. It's nothing like home and I can't go around bullying the other members since we're either locked in a room by ourselves or training."

"Oh, I see. So what is your rank in the organization that Xemnas is in charge of?" Caesar asked.

Larxene replied, "I'm number twelve. Even though I was one of the last members to join, I still don't let that interfere with my attitude. I don't care if you're number four or any number higher than me."

Caesar joked with the audience, "I see we have a fighter on our hands!"

The audience laughed and then the buzzer rang. Caesar said, "Larxene everyone!"

The audience applauded as Larxene walked off the stage. Then Caesar announced, "Up next is Roxas!"

Roxas came on stage wearing a black tux, a white dress shirt, and an orange bow tie. Roxas and Caesar shook hands and then they sat down. Caesar greeted, "It's nice to meet you Roxas! Glad to have you in the Hunger Games! So Roxas, how has your stay at the Capitol been so far?"

Roxas replied, "It's been good. The food is great and the training center is really cool! The only problem I have is that I wish you could visit other tributes during non-training hours because I have some friends on other levels."

"We are glad you like it! As for visiting other levels, we don't have that capability because usually our tributes come from different districts and don't know each other which makes that not a problem. We also have that so the tributes don't start killing each other before the Hunger Games actually begin," Caesar said informatively.

Roxas replied, "Oh."

Caesar reassured Roxas, "But it is something to be considered when we have games when other tributes know each other."

Caesar asked, "So how was life back at home?"

Roxas replied, "It was good. When I was in the organization that Xemnas is in charge of, we would go on missions. Then afterwards Axel, Xion, and I would meet up and have ice cream together. We called it, "the icing on the cake"."

There was a bunch of "aww"'s coming from the audience. "How touching!" Caesar commented, a little teary eyed.

Then the buzzer rang cutting off the conversation. Then Caesar cheered, "Roxas everyone!"

The audience cheered as Roxas walked off the stage. The Caesar announced, "Now last, but not least! Xion!"

Xion walked onstage wearing a lavender colored, flowy dress with lavender and baby's breath woven on the side of the dress starting under the woven lavender and baby's breath belt. There's also woven baby's breath and lavender going over the right breast and then draping down on her back, going down to her thigh. Caesar kissed Xion's hand and then they sat down. Caesar greeted, "It's nice to meet you Xion! Glad to have you in the Hunger Games! This dress is absolutely stunning! Words cannot describe its beauty!"

"Thanks!" Xion said shyly as the audience cheered for her beauty.

"So how has your stay in the Capitol been so far?" Caesar asked.

Xion replied, "It's been nice so far. Although like what Roxas said, I wish I could go see other tributes but I understand completely."

"Very good, very good. And from what Roxas has told me, he said that back at home after missions you guys would go have some ice cream. So what is your favorite ice cream?" Caesar asked.

Xion replied, "Sea-Salt ice cream!"

"Oh that's an interesting flavor! I've never heard of that one! Maybe if you win then maybe you can help us create it so that everyone here can enjoy it!" Caesar said.

The audience cheered and then the buzzer rang. Then Caesar announced, "And that's Xion everyone!"

The audience cheered as Xion walked off the stage and then Caesar said, "And that concludes our tribute interviews! Tomorrow will be the tribute ratings and the next day will be the Hunger Games! So make sure to tune in! Have a good night everybody!"

The audience cheered madly the cameras stopped televising the event. The tributes were then sent to their floors for a second to last night of sleep.


	5. Chapter 5: Ratings

"I have a feeling that this so called "Keyblade" will be useful to me. The only one gullible enough to follow me would be Sora. This is your last chance Seneca because I like you, be careful." President Snow said as his snake eyes followed Seneca as he walked out of the room to join the other game makers.

The tributes woke up and got ready for their private training sessions. They were all led to the downstairs. First up was Sora. He walked in as the game makers eyed him curiously. He first did some combat with his Keyblade against the test dummies. He then went to the obstacles courses and tried to make fire and shelter. The game makers felt that they saw enough and dismissed Sora.

Up next was Riku, he walked in as the game makers eyed him curiously as they did with Sora. Riku had the same strategy as Sora. The only difference was that Riku was more aggressive when fighting which really got the game maker's attention.

Up next was Kairi. She first went to the edible insects and plants stations and did pretty well. She then went to the obstacle courses and did okay. She then went to the training dummies and showed off her Keyblade skills. The game makers felt that they've seen enough and dismissed Kairi.

Next was Naminé. She walked in nervously as the game makers started to get into their own little conversations while sort of watching her. They didn't really care much for her because she relies on her teammates. She first went to the camouflage station and spent at least ten minutes painting her arm. She then put her arm against a tree and it blended in perfectly. That caught the game maker's attention somewhat. She then went to the plant and insect identification section and when she was halfway through, she ran out of time and the game makers dismissed her.

Xemnas was next and he made a beeline for the training dummies and completely diced them with his ethereal blades. He then shot his ethereal blades at the archery dummies. The game makers were astonished with his fighting skills. He then went through the obstacle courses very quickly. He also managed to identify many different plants and insects correctly. The game makers were pleased and dismissed him.

The Avoxes cleaned up the training dummy massacre and placed new dummies before they let Xigbar in. When he walked in, he teleported to the archery range. The game makers were intrigued with this ability. He hung upside down in mid-air and made a bunch of kill shots on the dummies in a matter of seconds. He then quickly teleported to the obstacle course. He went through the obstacle courses aerodynamically and flawlessly. He then went back to the shooting area and then the game makers dismissed him.

Up next was Xaldin. The game makers started chatting while Xaldin shot his lances at the training dummies. He looked to see if the game makers were paying attention and most of them were still in their conversations. This made him mad. He then thought of one of his ultimate moves. He made his wind/lance dragoon. He started shooting lances everywhere and made little tornadoes around the training center which scattered everything. This caught the game maker's attention which made them dismiss Xaldin before he could do any more damage to the training center.

It took an hour to find more replacement dummies and to clean up the mess that Xaldin made. Once the Avoxes finished cleaning, Vexen was sent in. He started showing off his ice powers and since he was at it, his combat skills. He then went to the edible plant and insect stations and aced the tests. He then made shelters and even made fire. After that, the game makers dismissed him.

Up next was Lexaeus. He walked in and went straight to the training dummies. He swung his axe sword to the ground and the ground started to shake. Then Seneca Crane ran to the railing of the game maker area and cried, "Stop! Don't destroy the training center!"

Lexaeus stopped on command and looked up at Seneca. Seneca sighed in relief, "Good. We will take note of your special power, now please show off some other skills if you have any, otherwise you are dismissed."

Lexaeus left and then Zexion walked in the room cautiously. He then went straight to the edible insect and plant stations and aced the tests. He then went to go spar with a trainer. The trainer had a sword and Zexion had his book. The trainer lunged at Zexion and put the trainer in a trance. The trainer sat on the floor like a doll. The game makers were intrigued with this ability and wondered what would happen. Then all of the sudden, the trainer screamed a blood curdling scream. She was trying to crawl away as she whimpered but was too preoccupied trying to brush off whatever was attacking her. Something started crawling under the skin of her left leg and she grabbed her sword hacked off her own leg. Blood started to squirt from her leg and she started choking on something. Different arrays of bugs then came crawling out of her mouth. Then her nose, eyes, and ears. Once the army of insects came out of her dead body, they disappeared without a trace. The game makers were impressed yet shocked with this power. Seneca asked, "What did you do to her Zexion?"

Zexion smirked, "I simply put her in a trance that made her nightmares come to life. She was obviously afraid of bugs so that's the nightmare that came to life in her trance."

The game makers were pleased with this ability and dismissed Zexion while the Avoxes cleaned up the dead body of what used to be a trainer.

Up next was Saix. He walked in and darkened the training center. He then went straight to the training dummies. He whipped out his berserker and smashed and stabbed the dummies to bits. He then went to the obstacle courses and went through them swiftly and flawlessly. The game makers felt that they saw enough and dismissed Saix while he set the lighting back to normal.

The Avoxes finished replacing the dummies and then Axel walked in the room. He went straight to the training dummies and stabbed them and set them on fire. While the Avoxes took down the fire, Axel through the obstacles courses extremely quickly and cleanly. The game makers felt that they saw enough and dismissed Axel.

Up next was Demyx. He first went to the very center of the training center floor and started showing off his water skills. He did that for a little more than five minutes and the game makers dismissed him.

After the Avoxes mopped up the watery mess that Demyx left, Luxord was sent in to the training center. He went straight to the weapons rack and pulled out a sword. He set it on the floor and transformed into a sword exactly like it. He was never able to transform into just anything until he got here and was glad to be able to transform into other things other than cards and dice. The game makers were intrigued with this power. He then transformed back and put the sword back on the rack. He then transformed into an exact copy of the rack. He transformed back and then went to the camouflage station and painted his arm. He managed to blend himself nicely against a rock. The game makers felt that they saw enough and dismissed Luxord.

Up next was Marluxia. He walked in and went straight to the fire making station. He didn't go there to make fire, he went to the grassy area and grew little bush of blueberries. He then grew a bush of Nightlock and then a five foot tall carnivorous Venus Fly Trap. He then made them disappear and went to the edible plant and insect identification station and aced it. He then went to the training dummies and diced them with his scythe. He then went to the obstacle course and went through swiftly and flawlessly. The game makers felt that they've seen enough and dismissed him as his 15 minutes were up.

The Avoxes replaced the dummies and Larxene was sent in. She went straight to the knife throwing station and threw her electric kunais at the dummies. She made all her throws instant kill shots. She also electrocuted the dummies while she was at it. She then went to the obstacle course and went through flawlessly and swiftly as well. The game makers felt that they saw enough and dismissed Larxene.

Up next was Roxas. He used the same strategy as Sora and Riku, but the game makers noticed that he had a temper unlike Sora. They took note of that as they dismissed him.

Lastly, Xion came into the arena. She used the same strategy as Roxas, Riku, and Sora. The difference that game makers noticed was that she was observant and perceptive and they took note of that since it would affect her score. The games makers dismissed her as they moved to another room to deliberate over their tribute's scores.

For the next three hours, they squished in some training and then were sent to their rooms to wash up and to eat dinner before the training scores were announced. All the tributes with their stylists and mentors sat on the couches to watch their scores be projected onto the walls of their floors. Caesar Flickerman greeted, "Good evening ladies and gentleman! This is your host Caesar Flickerman and I'm here to announce our tribute's scores so you know who to bet on! As most of you may know, tributes are rated on a score of 1-12, with 12 being the highest chances of survival. As you may have noticed, we switched around certain events for this special. For this special, the game makers decided to factor in the tribute's interview with yours truly into their scores. So now onto the moment you've all been waiting for! Our first tribute, Sora, with a score of nine."

Sora sighed in relief. Everyone in the room cheered. Riku congratulated, "It's good to know that you have a pretty good chance of survival in the arena Sora!"

Caesar Flickerman continued, "Our second tribute, Riku, with a score of eleven."

Everyone in the room cheered even louder for Riku's score. Riku was happy with his score and Sora congratulated, "That's so awesome Riku! Now I know we will get out of the arena!"

All the other tributes started to keep Riku's score in mind, for he will be one of their targets. Caesar Flickerman continued, "Our third tribute, Kairi, with a score of seven."

Kairi got a little nervous with her medium score with the rest of the more menacing tributes yet to come. Caesar continued, "Our fourth tribute, Naminé, with a score of five."

Naminé didn't know how to react with her score. She and Kairi looked into each other's eyes and knew that they were probably not going to make it out alive. The only thing that kept them from breaking down was a little shred of hope. Larxene laughed at Naminé's score and agreed with Marluxia that it was very fitting for her. Caesar continued, "Our fifth tribute, Xemnas, with a score of eleven."

Xemnas was a little infuriated about the fact that he had the same chances of making it out alive as those Keyblade pipsqueaks. He wanted revenge and he wanted the odds to be more in his favor. The other tributes already knew to keep an eye out for Xemnas, which just backed up their reasoning even more. Caesar continued, "Our sixth tribute, Xigbar, with a score of eleven."

Xigbar smirked and felt good that he had as much of a chance of getting out alive as the Superior and Riku. The other tributes were intrigued with his score. They thought they would waste their time by even thinking about targeting him. Well, at least now they know. Caesar continued, "Our seventh tribute, Xaldin, with a score of eleven."

Xaldin felt relieved that he had a good chance of getting out of there as much as everybody so far. The tributes started to wonder if they were going to give everybody a score of eleven and so that it's just a wild goose chase. Caesar continued, "Our eighth tribute, Vexen, with a score of ten."

Vexen felt good about his score since he only scored one point below the other tributes so far. He knew that those tributes would go after each other and leave him alone which would make the odds more in his favor. The other tributes were relieved that not everybody was going to receive an eleven. Caesar continued, "Our ninth tribute, Lexaeus, with a score of seven."

Lexaeus was shocked that he had the same amount of chance of getting out of the arena alive as those little girls. He was mad and was about to start an earthquake until his stylists and mentor calmed him down by assuring him that maybe it was for the best for him to have a low score, and then the other tributes could ignore him. Caesar continued, "Our tenth tribute, Zexion, with a score of twelve."

Zexion's mentor and stylists were shocked. No one until this point received a 12. Then all of a sudden his stylists and mentor cheered in excitement and congratulated him on his achievement. All the tributes were shocked and now made Zexion their new main target. Caesar continued, "Our eleventh tribute, Saix, with a score of twelve."

Saix smirked at his achievement as his mentor and stylists congratulated him. Now the tributes would be watching Saix too. Caesar continued, "Our twelfth tribute, Axel, with a score of twelve."

Axel was astonished that he had a good chance of getting out alive. His mentor and stylists cheered for him as he worried about Roxas' and Xion's scores. Now Axel was added to the list. Caesar continued, "Our thirteenth tribute, Demyx, with a score of eight."

Demyx felt okay about his score. His stylists and mentor said that it was a good score but in comparison to everyone else's scores it wasn't. He hoped for people to disregard him due to his low score and the tributes would. Caesar continued, "Our fourteenth tribute, Luxord, with a score of twelve."

Luxord wasn't surprised that he got that score. After all, he is a master of games. His stylists and mentor congratulated him. He commented with Demyx, "It's a good thing you're on my team."

Demyx sighed in relief and nodded in agreement. Caesar continued, "Our fifteenth tribute, Marluxia, with a score of twelve."

Marluxia was happy that he had a better chance of survival than the Superior and the Keyblade bearers thus far. Larxene, his stylists, and his mentor congratulated him. Now there was a huge list of tributes to watch out for now. Caesar continued, "Our sixteenth tribute, Larxene, with a score of nine."

Larxene was not very happy with her score. She should've gotten a higher score. Some small sparks appeared in her hands. Marluxia, her stylists, and her mentor congratulated her on her score and buttered her up to make her feel better. Caesar continued, "Our seventeenth tribute, Roxas, with a score of ten."

Roxas was happy with his score. Xion, his stylists, and mentor congratulated him as Caesar continued, "Lastly, but definitely not least. Our eighteenth tribute, Xion, with a score of eight. Good night everyone and I shall see you tomorrow morning for the start of the Hunger Games."

The projectors turned off and Xion was nervous. Axel was nervous for her as well. The only thing that kept him from was worrying was that he would be there to protect them. Everyone congratulated her but even with their congratulations, she still felt nervous. Her score in comparison to everyone else's was low. Roxas came over to her as their stylists and mentors left and he tried to comfort her. He said, "At least it wasn't as low as Naminé's score. Plus, who cares what they say. You can prove them wrong."

Xion replied, "True but you never know."

"Yes, we won't know until it happens but for now… Just hope. Now we should go to bed because we had a long day today and will have even a longer one tomorrow." Roxas assured her.

Xion felt a little better after Roxas' attempt to comfort her and they went to their rooms to go to sleep. They tried to go to sleep but had a very hard time due to their nervousness of what's to come. Sora and Riku had a hard time as well. Naminé even started to cry because she knew that she was going to die despite the numerous times Kairi attempted to comfort her. Axel was still worried for Roxas and Xion with their sort of low scores. They all aimlessly wandered around their floor until they collapsed on the couches or their beds due to exhaustion. Otherwise a lot of other tributes slept soundly thinking that they will win the Hunger Games.


	6. Chapter 6: The Cornucopia

The tributes were woken up early so they could enjoy their last meal and last few hours of peace. The tributes were then sent to the hovercraft. On the way there, their mentors were giving them last minute advice. Once the tributes departed with their mentors and were loaded onto the hovercrafts, the hovercrafts took off towards the arena. During the ride there, the tributes were injected with the trackers. A good amount of the tributes detested but were then held down. Otherwise, the ride there was as silent as the night. The only thing you could hear was the low hum of the engine. Once the hovercrafts landed, each tribute was escorted by four Peacekeepers to their each individual launch room. Their stylists then came in to help them get into their outfits. Their outfits were the same as the previous hunger games. The tributes were trying to figure out what the climate of the arena was but the stylists were not allowed to give any hints. The stylists gave their tributes some final tips and reminded them to not step off their plates too early. A female voice went on the intercom, "Sixty seconds."

The more softer tributes started to get nervous. The more heartless ones got excited. The stylists tried to spew out more hints and tips. "Thirty seconds," the female voice on the intercom said.

Some tributes got in their tube, others like Demyx had to be forced in. "All the tributes are in their tubes," a young man at the control table said to Seneca.

"Good, start to launch them." Seneca happily replied.

The tubes started to slowly raise the tributes. Some were startled and others didn't even notice or care. When the tributes managed to get a glimpse of the arena, everything at first was white due to the brightness. Once everyone's eyes adjusted, whether they either feared or were eager for, saw the Cornucopia in its gold, metallic glory. They saw all of their weapons there along with supplies needed. All the tributes with the higher ranks had their weapons inside the Cornucopia along with the more valuable goods while the lower ranking tributes had their weapons more towards the outside. The countdown began as their plates finished rising. Ten, nine. Everyone tried to locate their weapons. Eight, seven, six. Everyone's eyes met. Five, four. The tributes who had made alliances met eyes with their teammates to make sure their alliances were still a go. Three, two, one. Everyone was off. Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Naminé peeled off and ran straight into the woods. On their way there, they grabbed whatever backpack they could and knew that their Keyblades could be summoned. Kairi looked behind her to check on Naminé but to her horror, saw Xemnas snap her neck with a smirk on his face thus the death of the first tribute of the Hunger Games Special. Demyx tried to peel off towards the woods like Sora, but in the opposite direction. On his way there, he ran into Larxene. He tried to dodge her, but she still caught up to him and snapped his neck. Everyone that was still there, tried to summon their weapons at first but it didn't work. Everyone had to manually grab their weapons, which was odd to them since they could summon them during training. They all scrambled to their weapons, trying to knock over or kill each other on the way there. The battles began. Xion grabbed her weapon and just as she was turning around to join Axel and Roxas, there was Larxene with her kunais. Larxene threw them and Xion tried to dodge but a kunai managed to shoot its way clean through her brain. That same kunai stabbed Roxas in the left shoulder blade. That made he and Axel turn around to see what was left of Xion's brain scattered across the grass. Roxas screamed in anger and lunged at Larxene. Larxene was about to throw a kunai at Axel but it was frozen by Vexen's ice. Vexen and Lexaeus appeared with their weapons in hand. Meanwhile, Xemnas caught up with Marluxia to settle his score with him. Xemnas lunged at Marluxia while Marluxia swung his scythe at one of his ethereal blades and knocked it off his hand. Marluxia smirked and swung again. Xemnas ducked closer to Marluxia and sliced his right foot off with his remaining ethereal blade. Marluxia fell over screaming in pain and Xemnas quickly slit his throat and joined Saix in fighting Xaldin. Lexaeus corned Roxas by the plates while Axel fought Larxene and Vexen. Vexen shot some more ice at Larxene and Axel shot his flaming chakram at her chest. He then focused his attention to Vexen. Lexeaus tried to slice Roxas at first but it didn't work. So then he slammed his tomahawk on the ground and not only did his earthquake send everybody off their feet, but so did the mines from the plates. Since Lexaeus was the closest, it blew him to bits. Roxas was off his feet and landed near Axel and Vexen. Roxas looked down to see his legs blown off. Roxas screamed a blood curdling scream as Vexen ended his misery by stabbing him in the head with the sharp end of his shield. Axel was shocked but quickly grew furious. He was thrashing at Vexen thus giving him an opening to attack him. Vexen gave a third degree ice burn on his right rib cage. Axel gasped in pain and took off into the direction of the swamp and prairie. Vexen decided to let him have a slow and painful death due to blood poisoning. Vexen then joined the fight against Saix and Xemnas. Right when Vexen joined in, Saix knocked Xaldin of his whirlwind lance dragon and killed him. Zexion noticed the amount of members lost and called off the fight. They all grabbed everything and went in opposite directions in the woods. "What a great way to start off this Hunger Games Special?! Isn't Claudius?!" Caesar commented.

Claudius agreed, "Yes, especially with that explosion that Lexaeus set off by his powers!"

They continued commenting on what just happened as everyone scattered into the woods.


	7. Chapter 7: In the Woods

Eight cannons went off signaling the death of eight tributes which all the tributes who weren't at the Cornucopia anymore took note of.

Kairi kept close to Riku and Sora to the best she could. They went deep into the forest and stopped running. Riku found a good tree for them to climb in. They went sort of high up to where they could hide in the foliage. Sora looked around and asked, "Where's Naminé?"

Kairi sobbed, "Xemnas killed her. Snapped her neck right in front of me."

Sora gasped and Riku punched the tree branch. Kairi cried, "There was nothing I could do! I turned around and her head was already in his hands!"

Sora hugged Kairi and sobbed a little, "It's okay, we understand. There was nothing you could do."

"Let's get our minds off of her. Let's see what we have in our backpacks." Riku said.

Riku opened his black bag to find a sleeping bag, an empty water canteen, a little bag of crackers, and a knife. Sora opened his blue bag to find an empty metal container, a red nylon rope, dried beef, and black tarp. Kairi opened her brown bag to find dried beef strips, crackers, wire, another canteen, and a wooden box of matches. They organized the bags and put all the food items in Kairi's bag. The tarp, nylon rope, and sleeping bag went in Riku's bag. The containers, wire, and matches went into Sora's bag. Sora remembered, "Oh yeah! We need to summon our Keyblades!"

Everyone held their hands out, their Keyblades didn't come. They kept trying for ten minutes and they still didn't come. Riku was frustrated, "Why won't they come?! We need our Keyblades!"

Sora replied, "We have a knife, at least that's something!"

"How are we going to defend ourselves?! How are we even going to hunt?!" Riku shouted.

Kairi lightly touched his arm and replied in a calm voice, "We can wait them out. I remember the trainers saying that most tributes die at the Cornucopia and from natural causes. If we want any chance of survival, then we need to find water fast! We don't know when the sun is going to set and if we don't get water soon then we die from dehydration."

Riku looked up at the canopy and sighed, "Alright… Waiting them out seems like a safer option. While we wait them out, let's try to summon our Keyblades."

Sora then continued his sentence, "But before we do that, let's go find some water!"

Riku nodded and they all climbed down the tree in search for water. They hiked for a while and Kairi picked berries along the way. They found a pond by the cliffs, but they couldn't climb onto the cliffs. They gave up and once they got the water they needed, the sun was starting to set. They headed back into the woods and climbed onto a tree. They took turns staying on guard while the others slept and whoever was on guard, tried to summon their Keyblade as a way of passing time.

Meanwhile, Axel stumbled along the stream. He kept his hand over his rib cage in hopes that he wouldn't leave a track of blood. Then he thought, what's the point? His friends died right in front of him and there was nothing he could do about it. He had no one to back him and certainly no one to go to. It wasn't like how it was when Roxas and Sora combined and there was some hope of getting Roxas back. After that thought, he slipped on the rocks and stumbled into a small cave. A sharp pain went through his whole side and in reaction to that he curled up into a ball and grunted in pain. He sat up slowly, flinching whenever it hurt, to take a look at his burn. The burn made it pretty deep and took a good amount of the very little skin and flesh he had. There was also dirt in it from his fall. He needed to try to clean it. He got the sleeve of his jacket and tried to rub off the dirt, but it was too painful. He felt helpless, he didn't have any medicine or supplies. He only had his chakrams. The events at the Cornucopia played over and over in his head. He put his hands behind him to find some rocks. He rested his head on one rock and laid down on his left side. The cold air was soothing against the burn. He said to himself, "Well, I'm going to die like this I guess. Well, at least I'll get to be with Roxas and Xion. I hope wherever I go after here, I hope it's at the clock tower where I can be with my friends, eating ice cream with them for the rest of my days."

He then heard a chime and sat up. He looked around to see white cloth hanging at the top of the mouth of his little cave. He slowly crawled to the mouth of the cave and tugged at the cloth. It fell in front of him and he picked it up. It looked like a little parachute. He realized that he was out in the open and tried to crawl quickly as he could back into his little cave. He went all the way to the back of the cave and unwound the cloth. Inside he found a metal container. He opened the container to find murky, white colored goo. Axel then realized it was medicine from his sponsors. He put some on his burn and felt a little relieved. He cut off the strings of the parachute and tied the strings around the loop hole to his pants. He then realized that he didn't have any food or water and he was in no shape or condition to go get some. His hopes of surviving sank again and it was quickly starting to get dark. He knew that there was no point in going out. He knew that he was just going to have to go sleep wondering if he'll be able to wake up again. He curled up into a ball and slowly fell asleep.

Earlier, while Xemnas and Saix were hiking through the woods, Xemnas pulled out Sora's Keyblade from the chain of Keyblades he had. He held it up to the light and it disappeared. Xemnas gasped and looked down at his chain of Keyblades. They all disappeared as well. Xemnas gasped and looked around. The Keyblades were gone. Saix turned around and noticed that the Keyblades were gone. Saix asked, "What happened to the Keyblades?"

Xemnas replied, "I'm not sure. They just disappeared."

They thought about for a minute and then Saix said, "Well, the Keyblade chooses its master and we weren't its master. At least we still have our weapons."

Xemnas sighed and nodded as they continued to search the woods for water. Along the way, they scored some game and picked some berries. It started to get dark when they found a little pond to settle down for the night. They skinned their game and made a small fire just to roast their game. Once their game was roasted, they quickly put out the fire before any of the other tributes could find them. They ate their game and then took turns staying on guard while the other slept.

While Xemnas' group went into the woods, Luxord's group walked behind the Cornucopia to find a lake. The group looked around to see if there were any other tributes nearby and then Luxord ordered, "Alright, here will be our camping spot. Since there's still daylight, let's go hunt for game and other tributes."

Zexion replied, "Hunting for tributes would be a mistake! Didn't we just call off the fight at the Cornucopia so that we wouldn't lose any more members of our team?"

"That's what makes it work. The other tributes will be off guard. Nobody would think that someone go around killing the other tributes at this time. It's the perfect time to attack," Vexen said.

"Plus, I can defy gravity and sneak around. Those suckers wouldn't even know what hit em'!" Xigbar bragged as he pretended to shoot his arrow guns.

Luxord said, "Then it's settled, let's go towards the grassland area. I think that's where Axel took off."

Vexen replied, "We shouldn't worry about him, I gave him a pretty deep burn. He should be dead in a matter of hours."

"Fool! He is LOVED by the Capitol! He probably has a lot of sponsors and a lot of betters who want to keep him alive! We need to find him and kill him before he can get his hands on medicine!" Luxord shouted.

Vexen gave a disgruntled reply, "Even with his medicine, he doesn't have any food or water. How is he going to even survive?"

Luxord grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and ordered, "We are going to look for him and make sure he dies. I don't want lady luck on his side."

Luxord released his collar and Vexen was just about to reply when Luxord shouted, "Let's move out!"

Vexen bit his tongue even though he was furious. Zexion patted his shoulder in comfort and Vexen sighed. They all followed Luxord towards the grassland area which was where they saw Axel headed. Once they got there, they searched everywhere in case he collapsed or left a trail of blood. They spent at least an hour scouring the grassland. While searching, they ended up back where they started. "That's weird, I could've sworn we were going in different directions," Luxord said puzzled.

"Hey guys, the sun is starting to set. I think we should start making camp anyways," Xigbar said pointing at the sun.

Luxord sighed and everyone walked back to the lake. Luxord then ordered, "Vexen, Zexion, set up the tents. Xigbar and I will search the woods here by the lake."

Xigbar sighed and followed Luxord into the woods. They walked around until it was almost dark and then made it back to the campsite by the time it was dark. When they got back they ate the food that they got from the Cornucopia since it was too late to hunt. After that, they had shifts on being on guard while the others slept.

Then the anthem started to play and showed the pictures of all the tributes that died that day. The only one who wasn't woken up by it was Axel, who was completely unconscious. Caesar commented, "What an exciting first day of the Hunger Games!"

"Especially with Axel's luck! I bet girls of the Capitol are really trying to keep him alive!" Claudius joked.

"I wonder who will be getting parachutes next?!" Caesar asked.

"I know, especially with those Keyblade wielders in the game! I wonder what the game makers are up to with making their Keyblades disappear from Xemnas like that?" Claudius asked.

Caesar replied, "I know! I wonder if it was even just in the weapons nature! I guess we'll see tomorrow!"


	8. Chapter 8: The Feast

The next morning, Axel slowly opened his eyes. He groggily sat up and looked around. He was astonished that he was still alive. He started to move and felt his side sting. He then remembered about his burn. He unzipped his jacket to take a look and it was healing well. Flesh was starting to grow over it and it looked like a giant blister. He started to feel the cold trickle onto his skin and then he quickly zipped his jacket back up to quickly realize that he needs a new shirt and jacket before he freezes to death. He crawled to the mouth of the cave and stood up only feel dizzy and to fall down onto his knees. Luckily there was a stream nearby and he crawled to it and started scooping water into his mouth greedily. Once he replenished his thirst, he stood up to feel better and to hear his stomach growl. He still felt a little light headed, but he could still walk. He followed the stream to collect the berries he remembered Xion telling him about. If he wasn't sure about a berry, he didn't pick it. He popped them in his mouth after rinsing them in the stream and continued to follow the stream to find the prairie that he ran to after the Cornucopia. He then heard something move in the tall grass. He crouched down and saw a jackrabbit only a few feet away. He got his chakrams ready and threw them at the rabbit. The rabbit started to hop away quickly until it got hit by one of his chakrams while the other returned to him. He walked over to the rabbit to find it trying to free its leg from the chakram. He got his free chakram and ended the rabbit's misery. He got the rabbit and started to walk back up the stream while trying to catch other game and to collect sticks for a fire. By the time he got back, he had two rabbits and a squirrel. He made a fire and started to skin his game.

Meanwhile, Riku woke up Sora and Kairi. They climbed down the tree to scavenge for supplies, food, and water. They headed towards the pond because they thought it was the best place to start and as far as they knew, they haven't seen tributes there or in the area in general. Kairi gathered water and berries while Sora tried to catch fish with his bare hands. Riku left his jacket with Kairi since it was a little warm out. He then was going to use the knife to hunt for some game. He found a decent sized branch and sharpened it so it was pointy enough to stab prey. Right when Riku was about to start hunting, he heard a splash and looked over at the pond to see that Sora slipped during his failed attempt to catch a fish. Riku and Kairi burst out laughing as Sora walked to the pond's edge while ringing the water out of his hair to say, "Ha ha very funny, what do you guys suggest I do?"

Riku snickered, "Use this."

Riku tossed the knife to Sora as he barely caught it. Just then, Kairi exclaimed, "Look!"

She pointed at a little, white parachute that slowly descended towards them and landed in a bush as it made a chime sound. Kairi detangled it out of the bush and unwrapped the cloth to find two more knives and a little fishing net. Kairi said cheerfully, "Great! Now we can all have knives and Sora won't have a hard time catching fish anymore!"

Riku laughed as he and Kairi grabbed the knives out of the parachute. Kairi handed the net to Sora as Kairi made the parachute into a makeshift bag and gave it to Riku to keep the game in there. Then Kairi laid the cloth out so Sora could put the fish he caught there. Riku kept a close distance to the pond because he didn't want to be too far from Sora and Kairi. The farthest away he went from them was the tree they stayed in for the night.

Saix and Xemnas woke up at dawn and ate some food items from their bags. They planned out what would be their strategy. Saix said, "I would be nice to go after everyone, but I think we should wait it out. The trainer said that most tributes die from natural causes."

Xemnas replied, "Not only that, but we have Luxord's group chasing us. Not that we can't take them on though."

"But they're cowards, they know we're superior to them and they won't fight us one by one. They'll attack as a group," Saix said.

Xemnas sighed, "I guess. There's also Sora's group and Axel, IF he is still alive."

Saix laughed, "Even if Axel can somehow heal himself, what about food and water? He will still be too weak. He ran towards the prairie and to the looks of it, there shouldn't be any water or food there. Only poisonous things."

"I suppose you're right, going after Axel would be a waste of time. But Sora's group would be easy to take out," Xemnas replied.

"Yes, especially since they probably don't have their Keyblades. They won't pose as much of a threat," Saix said.

Xemnas replied, "Yes, then it would fulfill our need for revenge."

"Shall we go hunt?" Saix asked.

Xemnas replied gleefully, "Of course."

They packed up their camp and divided the weight between each other and set off into the woods to scavenge for food and their targets. They trekked through the woods for about two hours and they managed to catch a few squirrels and one rabbit. They heard a twig snap and neither one of them were the ones who stepped on the twig.

Riku managed to get four squirrels and just as he got his fifth, he heard voices. He threw the dead squirrel in his makeshift bag and headed for the tree with a lot of shrubbery. He then just noticed that a lot of the trees in the area had a lot of vines and shrubbery. On his way, he stepped on a twig and the voices went quiet. After realizing he stepped on a twig, he scrambled behind the tree that had a lot of shrubbery around it and on it and held very still. He heard footsteps heading towards him. He got his makeshift spear and knife ready. He then heard that the footsteps were on the other side of the tree he was hiding behind. He held his breath.

Saix listened for any breathing. As far as he knew, there were no animals in this forest large enough to break a twig. Then Saix looked at the shrubs and noticed it had three leaves per stem. Saix said to Xemnas, "I think they went the way we were heading, nobody would be stupid enough to be hiding in poison ivy."

Riku's eyes opened wide. He wanted to get out especially since he had no protection from the poison. Saix asked, "Would you like to turn back now? We don't know exactly how long we have before it gets dark so that we don't attract any unwanted visitors with our fire."

Xemnas replied, "Yes, we should. We still need to cook our game."

They turned around and headed back to where they camped last night. Caesar said to Claudius, "I bet Riku is DYING to get out of those poison ivy shrubs!"

Claudius laughed, "Oh yes! Especially since our team of scientists have genetically engineered them to kill tributes within 48 hours. And the effects of it, don't even get me started! Did you know this was a new addition to the arena? It was put in to give our viewers a little spice!"

Caesar warned, "Riku, the clock is now ticking!"

Once Riku couldn't hear them anymore, he ran out of the ivy and tripped on a tree root and landed face first into some more poison ivy. He quickly got up and ran back to the pond. When he got there, Kairi and Sora were cooking the fish Sora caught. They greeted him as he dropped his bags and jumped in the pond. They looked at him weirdly and Kairi asked, "Riku, are you alright?"

Riku dunked his head in and replied, "NO! I'm not alright! I was just sitting in poison ivy!"

Kairi gasped, "OH NO! It can kill you from what I read in the training center! Stay in the water Riku! It will get the sap off your skin! I'll go find some stuff to help alleviate the symptoms. Sora, watch Riku for me!"

Sora said, "I'll go with you, we don't know who or what is lurking out there!"

"I'll be fine! I won't go far!" Kairi replied.

Sora sighed as Kairi put down the fish she was frying.

Earlier, Xigbar woke up everyone as the sun rose. Xigbar poked his head in the tents yelled, "Rise and shine pipsqueaks!"

Vexen yelled back, "You idiot! You'll attract tributes!"

Xigbar replied, "Sheesh! Looks like sleeping beauty isn't a morning person!"

Everyone ate food they got from the Cornucopia. Luxord said, "We should hunt today, we shouldn't just rely on the food we have from the Cornucopia."

Xigbar suggested in a mocking tone, "Instead, how about we go hunt for the other tributes?"

Zexion replied, "It would be unwise to go hunting for the other tributes. We'll lose more people."

Xigbar said, "We're all going to have to kill each other eventually. So why should we care?"

"We shouldn't get too careless. Otherwise we all might end up dying," Luxord said.

Vexen replied, "Yes, especially knowing the powers of Xemnas and Saix. They were the leaders for a reason."

Xigbar folded his arms and rolled his eyes. Luxord said, "Then it's settled, we should get food today. But Xigbar, if it makes you feel any better, we'll kill anyone who crosses paths with us."

Xigbar looked at him and chuckled. Zexion asked, "Do you guys think we can carry all of this gear around?"

Everyone looked at all of the stuff they had and Luxord replied, "Well, it would be a waste of energy and we don't HAVE to move. Who wants to stay and guard?"

Zexion answered, "I will. If anyone comes near I can trap them in an illusion."

Everyone nodded and Luxord replied, "That sounds good."

Once everyone finished eating and the sun was in the sky, they set towards the grassland area again to see if they could find Axel since his picture didn't come up in the anthem during the previous night. They ended up figuring out that he was definitely not in the prairie. While they were heading back to the woods, they found a little stream. They figured that's where Axel went and followed the stream. They didn't realize that the stream was on the other side of the lake.

Once Axel finished cooking his game, he put out the fire and covered it. He then heard voices and scrambled into his cave.

Luxord smelled smoke and stopped the group. They all followed their noses and found Axel's covered up camp fire. Xigbar said, "He probably went towards the woods! He shouldn't be far!"

They all ran towards the woods and Axel sighed in relief. He knew if they found him, he wouldn't stand a chance. Just then, Seneca's voice came on the speakers, "Attention Tributes, attention. Commencing at sunrise, there will be a Feast tomorrow at the Cornucopia. This will be no ordinary occasion. Each of you NEED something, desperately and we plan to be generous hosts."

Kairi looked at Riku and said, "Your medicine."

Riku replied, "We have to go."

Axel looked at his burn and torn clothes and realized he needs some sort of cloth to protect his burn. Otherwise, it could get infected.

Saix looked at Xemnas and asked, "What do we need?"

Xemnas thought about it for a minute and realized it. He then asked Saix, "What is the thing that's preventing us from going after Luxord's group?"

Saix's eyes lit up and he said, "Their numbers."

"Yes, what would help us gain advantage over them?" Xemnas asked.

Saix replied, "Some way to protect ourselves."

Xemnas said, "We need to go."

Luxord asked, "What do we need?"

Vexen replied, "We don't need anything. Maybe medical supplies?"

Luxord said, "It would be a good thing to have."

"It could also be a good chance to kill the weaker people like Axel," Xigbar said.

"It would, I guess we're going then," Luxord said.

"Now let's try to get some food, we haven't caught anything yet," Vexen said.

Everyone nodded their heads and walked towards the forest. By the time it was starting to get dark, they headed back with 8 squirrels and three rabbits. While skinning, cooking, and eating their catch of the day, they discussed their plans for the Feast. Zexion said, "It's simple, we get up two hours before sunrise so we can pack up camp and move to an edge of the forest that is nowhere near our camp."

Vexen agreed, "That sounds good."

"Then it's settled," Luxord said.

While they ate, the anthem played and they saw that none of the other tributes died today. Once they finished eating, they all went to sleep with Luxord on guard for the next hour.

Axel thought about his plan of action while applying his burn cream. He knew he would have to get up before sunrise to get to the Cornucopia without being seen. A brilliant thought just popped in his head. How about he hides inside the Cornucopia? And once the items appear, he can grab it and run quickly as he can into the prairie. It seemed like a plan. He grabbed his chakrams and crawled outside of his little cave. The sun was setting. Good. He can hide in the shadows. He crept across the stream and walked to the lake. It just got dark and he could see a fire going on the other side. He knew he would have to trek around the lake and into the Cornucopia quietly. He walked around the lake keeping the fire at a distance and he passed the prairie's edge. Just by the numbers he could tell it was Luxord's group. He snuck into the Cornucopia and ate the last of the rabbit he saved. Then the anthem played and he saw that none of the other tributes died today. He realized that he didn't watch last night's anthem. Oh well, he had a pretty good idea of who died yesterday anyways. He then had a restless night of sleep.

Xemnas and Saix made it back to their little pond that was close to the Cornucopia to luckily find nobody there. They skinned their catch, cooked it, and ate until Xemnas asked, "I wonder where the others are hiding?"

Saix answered, "They're somewhere in this arena. We haven't explored the prairie yet."

"If they were hiding in the prairie, we would've heard canons. At least one group has to be in the forest," Xemnas said.

Saix guessed, "Maybe they're hiding in the part we haven't explored yet or where the poison ivy is."

"Who would be stupid enough to hide there?" Xemnas asked.

"Whoever went in there probably didn't know there was poison ivy or they could be using the poison ivy to keep people away," Saix realized.

"Hmmmm, it would seem so. So then tomorrow after the Feast, we should explore there to see if anyone is hiding there," Xemnas said.

Saix asked, "So what do you want to do for the Feast tomorrow?"

Xemnas answered, "We should hide at the forest's edge and just see how it will play out. Luxord's group will wait for its prey and we would like to get our defense before we fight them. Once they start to go after someone, then we will go."

"Sounds like a plan," Saix agreed.

They finished eating while watching the anthem. None of the remaining tributes died today. After watching the anthem, they took turns being on watch while the other slept.

Kairi came back from the woods with a bunch of big leaves. Sora asked, "How do you know those aren't poisonous too?"

Kairi answered, "I read that it will alleviate the symptoms of the poison ivy just by a little bit. It's also good for Tracker-Jacker stings too!"

Riku said, "Oh yeah, I remember you telling us about them."

Riku took off his shirt and laid it on a rock to try. Kairi asked, "Where did the leaves touch you?"

Riku replied, "Everywhere."

Kairi said, "Well, you should be fine on your legs and feet. The poison can't penetrate your boots and your pants should be thick enough for the poison to not be able to seep through. Whatever did seep through, it most likely washed off."

Kairi called Sora to help and they all started to chew the leaves and apply them to Riku's torso, arms, neck, and face. Riku said, "I look stupid."

Kairi put her hands at her waist and replied, "It's for your own good! You're going to look even more ridiculous once the swelling, blisters, hives and whatever else are the symptoms once they start to take effect."

Riku asked, "How long do I need to keep these on?"

"According to what I learned, you change it once a day. But you'll be getting your medicine tomorrow so you can take it off after we go to the Cornucopia tomorrow," Kairi said.

Riku sighed and once the leaf medicine and his shirt dried, he put back on his shirt and jacket. It was nightfall once they ate their catch of the day and Sora asked, "So how are we going to go to the Feast tomorrow?"

Riku answered, "We'll get up before sunrise and head over there and be careful."

Then the anthem played as they saw that no tributes died that day. Once they finished eating they settled in a nearby tree that didn't have poison ivy in it and took turns staying on watch until about an hour before sunrise. Riku woke everyone up and they saw that his face had a bunch of blisters and hives. He knew he already broke out because he found a bunch of blisters on his hands. Kairi said, "Whatever you do, don't itch or pick at it!"

Riku sighed, "Fine."

They packed up and had to wait for Riku as he slowly slid down the tree to avoid popping the blisters on his hands. Once they got down from their tree, they headed towards the Cornucopia.

It was starting to get a little lighter outside and Luxord woke everyone up to pack up their campsite. They pack up everything and hid in the trees and shrubbery closest to the middle of the Cornucopia.

Xemnas and Saix packed their things once it started to get lighter outside and headed for the Cornucopia. Once they got there, they hid in the trees and shrubbery on the right side of the mouth of the Cornucopia.

Then Riku, Sora, and Kairi hid in the shrubbery in between the two groups.

Axel was awake for a while and sat there ready. The sun rose as the bags popped up from the ground. Everyone had a hard time making out what was on their bags to differentiate whose was whose. All they knew was that there were two bags that were big and the other two were small. Axel immediately dashed for his which was small and had a match on it. He ran as fast as he could, despite the little pain his burn gave him, towards the prairie to throw off any tributes that followed. Everyone was astonished with Axel's wits. Then Kairi said, "Let's follow him, maybe we can make an alliance!"

Sora and Riku nodded as they took off to get their bag and to follow Axel.

Xigbar and his group were going to follow Axel to get rid of him already and ran towards the Cornucopia. Both teams got there and Riku grabbed the bag with a key on it as Sora grabbed onto Kairi by her backpack to slow her down. Xigbar shot Kairi in-between the eyes as a cannon shot signaling her death. Kairi slid to the ground as Sora was shocked and was still holding onto her brown backpack. Riku yelled, "RUN!"

They both started to run and Xigbar tried to shoot at Sora but only hit his backpack. Luxord, Vexen, and Zexion chased after them as Xigbar got the bag with a playing card on it. Just as he was leaving, Xemnas and Saix came to retrieve their bag that had a red glow stick on it. Xigbar shouted, "Hey guys!"

His teammates stopped running and saw Xemnas and Saix taking off towards the woods and they decided to follow them instead of Sora and Riku.

Claudius commented, "That was quite the Feast, wasn't it Caesar?"

"It sure was Claudius! We've got one tribute down now let's see which of the other tributes fall from the Feast as well!" Caesar replied.

"Oh yes! Let's also see if Riku will get medicine from the Feast to heal that deadly poison ivy!" Claudius said cheerfully.


	9. Chapter 9: Catching Fire

Riku kept running back towards their pond as fast as he could. He knew Sora was right behind him since he heard his familiar footsteps. He kept running and running. The distance from the Cornucopia was great and the thought of Kairi's death started to numb him. He carefully ran past the poison ivy bushes and came to their pond. He dropped to his knees, all those hours of running finally have started to take their toll. He then heard a cannon go off. He thought of Sora and turned around to find him, completely out of breath, finally catching up with him. He sighed in relief. For a second he thought he lost another friend today. Sora breathed heavily, "You kept running and… I needed a minute to catch some air… before running some more."

He walked over and plopped his and Kairi's bag onto the ground. He sat next to Riku and pulled Kairi's bag onto his lap. Tears started streaming down their faces as Riku said in a low murmur, "I thought that all four of us were going to make it out of this alive… But… now… I feel so stupid… To think that was even a possibility after hearing what they said about the games…"

"I know… I was hoping the same thing too," Sora cried as he hugged Kairi's backpack.

Riku cried into Sora's shoulder for a while until they heard three cannon shots. They looked up and around until their red, puffy eyes met. Sora asked, "How many tributes was that?"

Riku counted in his head and replied, "Five, including Kairi."

Sora questioned, "I wonder who else died today."

Riku replied, "We'll find out during the anthem."

Riku looked down at his hands and noticed that the leaves Kairi put on him yesterday fell off. He saw that his blisters were getting worse and remembered about the medicine. Riku scrambled into the giant backpack from the Cornucopia to find his and Sora's Keyblades along with Kairi's whose disappeared after a minute. They smiled at the sight of their Keyblades. Riku pulled out the Keyblades to find a metal, round container. Riku opened the metal container to find a misty, purple gel. Riku took off his shirt and started to spread it all over his arms, chest, and face while Sora rubbed the gel on his back. The gel felt cool against his skin which was a nice contrast to what he was experiencing prior to that. Once Riku applied the gel, he put his shirt back on and sat down and stared off into the distance. Sora noticed this and said, "Hey, I know today hasn't been a good day –"

"You think?" Riku threw a rock across the pond while giving that snarky reply.

"Yeah, but we gotta keep our chins up and keep going. We can win together! Kairi would want that," Sora said in a somewhat cheerful manner.

Riku asked, "How can you be so happy in a time like this?"

"I'm not happy. I'm grieving for her too! But I just know that she would want us to keep going and stay strong. Let's do this for her!" Sora cheered.

Riku sighed and Sora got an idea. He pulled the silly face that that he did back in the World that Never Was. Riku chuckled and Sora carefully helped him up. Since they had enough berries for the night, they went out hunting and managed to get 3 squirrels. They came back to their pond and roasted their game before nightfall while waiting for the anthem.

Xemnas and Saix ran from Luxord's group. Zexion and Xigbar split from the group because they knew exactly where they were headed. They went into the woods and waited by a tree with a Tracker-Jacker hive on it. Xemnas and Saix knew they were outnumbered and if they went down, they wanted to bring Sora and his friends down first. They ran in the direction of where they saw them come out from the shrubbery. They got there to find them not there and turned to go deeper into the woods. They knew that they could lose Luxord's group in there and hopefully find Sora. They ran for a little bit to see two figures in the distance and became excited, for they could finally get their revenge. They got closer to see that it was Zexion and Xigbar waiting for them. They stopped and were about to turn around until they were caught in a haze. Xemnas found himself alone until he saw Zexion with Saix's berserker. Xemnas was confused and sheathed his Ethereal Blades. Did the others finish off Saix that quickly. Zexion came at Xemnas and swung Saix's berserker at him, almost missing Xemnas. Xemnas put his hand on his face and saw a little bit of blood. It was just a scratch fortunately.

Saix tried to call out to the Superior through the haze, only to find Zexion sheathing Xemnas' Ethereal Blades. Saix wondered if the others finished off the Superior that quickly. Saix lunged at Zexion, almost missing him. Saix saw Zexion put his hand to his face to see a little bit of blood, it was only a scratch.

Outside of Zexion's illusion, Luxord, Xigbar, Zexion, and Vexen watched Xemnas and Saix battle it out. "Good job Zexion, I did not know you could get them to fight each other with your illusions," Luxord complimented.

Zexion replied, "I don't have to always be involved in my illusions, especially if there are multiple people. Although, once one kills the other, then I'll have to step in."

Luxord chuckled, "Who wants to place bets?"

Everybody laughed as they all started to watch them battle it out. They were pretty even until Xemnas lost his footing due to the root of a nearby tree. Then Saix hit Xemnas with his Berserker and sent him flying until he hit a nearby tree. When that happened, Zexion knew they were close to having a victor. Zexion ordered, "Vexen, since you have a shield with spikes, start sawing the branch with the Tracker-Jacker hive on it. Cut it to where it's close to breaking off, then finish cutting it when I tell you to."

Vexen objected, but Luxord cut him off, "Since those infernal insects are going to steer us in different directions, let's make a meeting point. Let's meet back where our camp was."

Everyone nodded as Vexen reluctantly climbed the tree to start sawing. During their conversation, Saix started gaining the upper hand even more. Saix started to smash the ground with his Berserker while Xemnas tried to get away.

Just then "Zexion" swings his weapon at Xemnas' head and barely misses it. Xemnas then takes the chance, now that "Zexion's" torso is exposed, and cuts deep into "Zexion's" stomach. Xemnas thought that "Zexion" was done but, to his surprise, he recoils quickly and delivers a fatal blow to Xemnas' head.

Saix saw "Zexion" a little dazed from that blow and breaks open "Zexion's" skull, spilling his blood and brains onto the leafy floor. Saix hears a cannon go off in the distance, thus signaling "Zexion's" death. Just then Zexion appears right across from Saix and he smirks. Then Saix wondered, did he kill the Superior?

Zexion waited for Saix to make his move. Then Saix started running towards him and once he got in range for the hive, Zexion ordered for Vexen to cut it. Vexen then tried to cut it, but his shield got stuck. Vexen shouted, "My shield is stuck!"

Saix was a yard away, ready to club Zexion to death. Zexion screamed, "Cut it you fool!"

Just then Luxord started running to get away from the Tracker-Jacker mess as Xigbar kicked Vexen thus pushing him onto the branch. Then the branch finally breaks under his weight and falls on top of Zexion and Saix. Vexen breaks his leg from the fall and Zexion and Saix are caught under the branch as the Tracker-Jacker hive explodes. Xigbar leaves knowing that all three of them are dead or are going to die soon and heads off to Luxord's meeting point. The Tracker-Jackers attack Vexen, Zexion, and Saix as they scream in pain and attempt to thrash about. Once the Tracker-Jackers are done stinging them and disfiguring their bodies, three cannons go off signaling their deaths.

Memories of Roxas' and Xion's death and visions of their dead bodies filled Axel's mind as the three cannons went off. He fell to his knees and breathed a little heavily. He closed his eyes and tried inhale and exhale slowly. He admitted to himself that they weren't joking about the bloodbaths that occurred during the Feast. He wondered who died. He'll find out tonight. He continued to go along the stream to continue picking berries and hunting for game for a little longer and then headed back to his little cave. He came back with only a squirrel and while cooking it, he opened his bag to see what his sponsors gave him. It was a round, flat, metal container. He opened it to find more burn medicine. He was running out since it was healing very slowly. He put some of it on his burn and it felt nice and cool against it. He looks again inside the bag to find a new black shirt and jacket and some bandages. He took off his old shirt and jacket and put it inside the bag he got from the Cornucopia. He wrapped the bandages around his rib cage and then put on his new shirt and jacket. It felt nice to be in a shirt and jacket that didn't have some of your body exposed. Once his squirrel was cooked, he put out the fire and ate his dinner while it got dark and waited for the anthem play to satisfy his curiosity.

Luxord ran to back to where they had camp. While running he heard three cannons go off. He became worried that Saix snapped out of Zexion's illusion and killed his allies. He waited by where their camp used to be for a few minutes and then Xigbar appeared. Xigbar said, "The Tracker-Jackers got to Saix, Zexion, and Vexen."

Luxord asked, "And you didn't help them get away?"

Xigbar replied, "I would've helped them if I wanted to get stung by the Tracker-Jackers. Besides, they were going to get killed off eventually. Why not get it over with already?"

Luxord scoffed and said, "Let's camp in the woods, we should change our location now that the tributes may come looking or the game makers might send out something since there's only five of us left. Plus, Vexen was carrying the tents."

Xigbar nodded while they went into the forest and found a little pond that was connected to a stream. They found a covered up fire pit and figured out that this was where Xemnas and Saix camped recently. By the time they got to Xemnas' and Saix's pond, it was nightfall and they had to settle for the bread and berries that were in their bags since Zexion carried the food. They will have to go hunting in the morning. While eating, Xigbar opened the bag he got from the Cornucopia to find burn medicine, stitching supplies, and bandages. They knew it was for whenever they faced Axel. Then the anthem played while Kairi's face showed up first in the starry sky followed by Xemnas, Vexen, Zexion, and finally Saix.

Luxord reminded Xigbar, "Let's sleep in the trees in case they decide to release anything into the woods."

Xigbar nodded as they climbed into separate trees and started to feel the cold of the night for the first time. Luxord took the first watch while they tried to sleep.

Axel thought, I guess I'll never get to apologize to Kairi for kidnapping her after all. Axel counted and realized that there are only five tributes left, including him. He was on equal grounds with the remaining tributes and had a chance to win the games for Roxas and Xion. He smiled at that thought while he finished eating his squirrel and went to sleep in his little cave.

Riku said, "I think things are starting to look up."

"Why do you say that?" Sora asked.

"We have a pretty good chance on winning now," Riku replied.

Sora cheered, "And we will win, together!"

They finished eating their game and went to sleep in the trees while Riku covered the first watch shift. They both had a restless night. While they tried to sleep, nightmares of Kairi and Naminé poisoned their sleep. They both got out of their tree at sunrise and ate what was left of their crackers and the last of the berries Kairi gathered for breakfast. Riku checked his torso to see how his skin was healing, the hives were gone and the blisters were popping or receding. Riku put more of the medicine on and then walked over to their pond to see that the water levels were extremely low. The fish that resided there were gone as well. Riku said, "We're gonna to have to move."

Sora walked over and was about to ask, but saw the pond for his own eyes. They packed whatever was left and tried to fill their canteens with whatever clean water they could get and searched for a new pond to occupy. While looking for a new water source, Riku said, "Let's hunt while we search. Then the animals might lead us to a stream or something of the sort."

Sora asked, "What about gathering?"

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea. Kairi and Naminé were the berry experts," Riku replied.

Sora said, "I remember some of the berries that Kairi gathered."

"I guess, but try to stick to hunting," Riku reluctantly replied.

They split off in opposite directions, but still maintained a close distance. Riku spotted a groosling for the first time and was ready to electrocute it with a lightning spell until he heard a cannon shot that scared away the groosling. He tried to electrocute it while it ran, but missed. "Sora, I almost got us a nice dinner! I wondered who died," Riku shouted.

He didn't hear a reply and called, "Sora!"

His heart skipped a beat and turned around. Sora was nowhere in sight. "SORA!" Riku screamed.

He ran in the direction he last saw Sora to find his body next to a Nightlock bush. All the air was sucked out of Riku. His whole world was spinning out of control. He dropped to his knees to see that Sora's warm, happy go lucky blue eyes were cold. The juice of the berry stained his lips and hands. Riku cried and screamed in agony.

Back at the game control room, everyone watched Riku cry over Sora. They were basically watching a rerun of how Katniss reacted when Rue died. Seneca was nervous because he failed the President. He was also afraid of the Districts rebelling since this scene would remind the Districts of how little Rue died. Seneca shouted, "Let's get the tributes together for the Grand Finale!"

One of the control people asked, "Now? Why?"

"Just do it!" Seneca shouted.

A control person said, "Send the hovercraft and fireballs in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three…"

Riku closed Sora's eyes and grabbed his backpacks from him, he knew Sora would want him to have it. Just then a fireball flew over his head almost killing him. He smelled smoke and turned around to the see that the forest behind him was catching fire.

**Author's Note: The final chapter will be posted on Sunday, June 9th! Along with that, here in the author's note section I'll post the voting results so you guys get to see how many votes each tribute received! We are close to having a victor! See ya then!**


	10. Chapter 10: The Grand Finale

Riku didn't want to leave Sora's body behind. He saw a hovercraft flying towards them to come pick up Sora's body. The fire was getting closer. He realized he had to leave Sora's body behind to burn or to be picked up by the Capitol. He felt pang of guilt and reluctantly ran quickly for a while, getting a little ahead of the fire to find himself next to the remaining tributes.

Axel woke up and first checked on his burn. It was starting to close up. He then walked outside his cave and was going to get some water from the stream, but only to notice it ran dry. He was bewildered by this and decided to grab his stuff and head upstream. He hunted while he searched, but couldn't find anything. He picked some berries and that satisfied his hunger for now. Once he got close to the marsh, a cannon went off. He shrugged it off and decided to cross the stream and headed into the woods. He smelled smoke. A tree burst into flames right next to him and started to fall. He started running and caught up with the rest of the other tributes.

Luxord and Xigbar woke up at sunrise and came down from their trees to find that their pond was mostly dry. They ended up packing up their stuff and decided to go deeper into the woods. A little before noon, they heard a cannon go off. Five minutes later, they smelled smoke. Then, in the distance, they could see a huge forest fire. They ran towards the Cornucopia to find themselves next to the remaining victors. Axel, Xigbar, and Luxord figured it was Sora who died. All of a sudden, it went dark yet there was a full moon so they could still sort of see their surroundings. Everyone froze and was confused. Seneca Crane's voice went on the intercom, "Congratulations tributes, you are the final four. For our grand finale, we're going to spice things up a little. We're going to take away your magic powers. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor!"

Everyone felt a sharp pain in their arm, right where they injected the trackers. Then they heard yipping and howls in the distance. All of a sudden, a giant, silver wolf attacks Luxord and starts to tear him to shreads. Everyone was scared and started to run, especially since there could be more giant wolves and because the fire kept getting closer. Once they made it into the clearing, more appeared and continued the chase. They all headed for the Cornucopia since wolves can't climb. Riku and Axel get on top of the Cornucopia with no problem, while Xigbar had a hard time getting up since he was used to his gravitational powers. Just as he was climbing up, the wolves get ahold of his legs and dragged him down. A cannon goes off and Luxord's face appears in the cloudy, ashy sky. Xigbar starts screaming in agony while Axel and Riku start to fight. The wolves that finished eating Luxord started to try to jump on top of the Cornucopia. Axel sent one chakram flying at Riku as he ducked to avoid it. He ran towards Axel as Axel's chakram came back. Riku swung his Keyblade at Axel and it gets caught in his chakrams. Axel kicks Riku and a cannon goes off signaling Xigbar's death as his picture was projected into the now red sky. Riku caught eyes with one of the mutts that almost bit his face off. It had red, straight fur and had human, blue eyes. He caught a quick glimpse of the others and saw a small, light blond one. He also saw a blue one with an "X" scar on its face. He caught a glimpse of the small, light blond wolf's collar which read "Naminé", inlaid with jewels. He gasped as he quickly got up only to be pinned down by Axel. They wrestled as the wolves nipped at their hair. Riku knees Axel and pins him down to where Axel could get a glimpse of the wolves. He came to the same realization as Riku when he spotted Xion and Roxas in the crowd. Axel screams in fury and punches Riku in the face which knocks him off Axel. They then scramble for their weapons, but Riku reaches for his first and runs towards Axel. Axel grabs his chakrams in time to stab Riku in the stomach. Riku took a few steps back as Axel lowered his guard. All of a sudden, Riku swings his Keyblade at Axel knocking him down and close to the mutts. Just then, a blond mutt with straight fur and emerald eyes, no doubt Vexen, grabs Axel by his head and drags him down to the other mutts. Axel screams in agony, but unfortunately there's nothing Riku could do to end the torture. After a few minutes, the screaming resided and a cannon went off and Axel's face projected into the dawn, ashy sky. The wolves ran into a tunnel that opened and closed once all of the wolves were in. Riku carefully slid off the Cornucopia while being careful with his wound. He looked around to see the forest still on fire and the Cornucopia drenched in blood. The scene haunted him. Seneca Crane's voice went on the intercom and congratulated, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victor of this Hunger Games Special, Riku!"

Riku contemplated on whether or not if this was real. He then saw a hovercraft hover over him to take him back to the Capitol.

A week after the games, the President called in Seneca. He knew he was going to receive some sort of punishment, but he saved Riku who is another Keyblade wielder. He should be able to receive some credit for that. The Peacekeepers lead Seneca into cellar-like room and closed the metal doors behind him. There was a glass table with a bowl of some sort of berries in it and an index card. He walked up to the table to see Nightlock berries in the bowl. He also heard growling. He looked up to see a wolf mutation. It had brown, spikey fur and sapphire blue eyes. He realized that it was Sora. He then heard a light buzz and a timer above the mutt started to count down from sixty seconds. He finally looked at the index card and it read:

_May the odds be ever in your favor_

_ -President Snow_

**Author's Note:**

**Thank you to all who read and enjoyed my story despite the rare updates! Hopefully you'll check out my other fan-fictions and stuff as well! Anyways, I am grateful for the support of my readers and you guys are the reason why I keep writing! I love you all and I hope to see you guys reading my future fictions!**

**Here are the results for the poll! I had to do my own math because this story is also featured on other sites so I had to count their votes too!**

**Riku – 15 votes – 29%**

**Axel – 9 votes – 18%**

**Xigbar – 8 votes – 16%**

**Luxord – 7 votes – 14%**

**Sora – 6 votes – 12%**

**Zexion – 3 votes – 6%**

**Vexen – 1 vote – 2%**

**Saix – 1 vote – 2%**

**Kairi – 1 vote – 2%**

**Total votes casted: 51**

**It feels weird seeing this series come to a close. I've become very attached to it. Some of you may have wondered why I decided to post this last chapter on June 9****th****, 2013. Since I'm terrible about keeping a regular schedule of writing chapters (this series lagged until June when it was supposed to be finished around the beginning of the New Year). Since I happened to post chapter 9, almost exactly a week from the day I published the first chapter, I had to publish the last chapter on its anniversary! So… happy anniversary Last Chance! I know it's corny, but I just had to do it! Anyways, again, thanks for reading!**

**Sincerely,**

**LlamaWorshipper**


End file.
